Selena Quintanilla Prez (born Selena Quintanilla, April 16, 1971 March 31, 1995) was a Mexican-American singer of Tejano music whose skyrocketing career ended abruptly. Her untimely death launched her to mythical status in the United States and Mexico. She is considered to be one of the most popular and influential Latino musicians. Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas. When Selena was 9, her father started the group Selena Y Los Dinos. The group's first performances were in Papagallos, the Quintanilla family's restaurant opened in 1980. Everyone who saw her, even at that young age, knew she was going to be a star someday. Soon the restaurant fell and the Quintanilla family went bankrupt, they were out on the streets without a roof over their head.So the family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where they piled into an old bus with all their musical equipment. They played at every opportunity - on streets, at weddings, Quinceaeras, fairs. Soon all the hard work paid off. Selena recorded her first album in 1984 under the Freddie label. This album was not in stores just then and the original copies were bought by Abraham. However, the album was released in 1985 titled Mis Primeras Grabaciones (My First Recordings). Because Selena was getting even more popular and the traveling to perform was interfering with school, Abraham pulled her out of school when she was in the 8th grade. Even though she was not attending school anymore, Selena earned a high school degree from The American School of Correspondence in Chicago and was even accepted at the Louisiana State University and other fine schools. In 1986, Selena's career really began to take off. Her second album, Alpha, was released then. At the Tejano Music Awards, she took the award for Female Vocalist of the Year (this was just the start of Selena sweeping the Tejano Music Awards for the next 9 years). Another important thing that happened in 1986 was she was discovered by two huge names in the Tejano music industry: Rick Trevi, founder of the Tejano Music Awards, and Johnny Canales, an entertainer with one of the top Spanish television shows. SUCCESSESIn 1988, two more Selena albums were released, Preciosa (Precious) and Dulce Amor (Sweet Love). But it was in 1989 when Selena got her big break. That year, she signed with Capitol/EMI records. By this time, Selena's concerts were drawing thousands of people. Pete Astudillo joined Selena Y Los Dinos and can be heard on such hit duets as Yo Te Amo (I Love You) and Siempre Estoy Pensando En Ti (I'm Always Thinking Of You). A.B. who was already writing most of Selena's songs joined Pete and wrote such it songs as Como La Flor (Like A Flower). Pete stayed with the band for 4 years but left in 1993 to go solo. In 1988, Selena met a guitarist named Chris Perez. Chris had performed with the popular singer Shelly Lares and even had his own band. The Quintanilla family hired him to be in the band in 1990. On April 2, 1992, the two married. In 1990, a fan approached Abraham with the idea of starting a fan club. Her name was Yolanda Saldivar. Her wish was granted. She was often referred to as Selena's biggest fan. Yolanda became a very close friend of Selena's, but later on, one of her worst enemies. Ven Conmigo (Come With Me) was released in 1990. That album had such hits as Baila Esta Cumbia (Dance This Cumbia). Another hit album, Entre A Mi Mundo (Come Into My World), was released in 1992. Such hits from that album like Como La Flor (Like a Flower) and La Carcacha (The Old Car) made Selena a star. Her 1993 Live album won her a Grammy award for Best Mexican American Performance. But 1994 was her best year, that was when she truly became a superstar. The album captured Selena's unique spirited onstage presence and undeniable professionalism, easily granting Selena the 1994 Grammy for best Mexican/American Album of the Year. Selena was leaving no stone unturned, she pursued another one of long time dreams- to design clothing for women around the world. Selena began designing and manufacturing her own clothing line. She successfully opened two boutiques, one in Corpus Christi and the other in San Antonio, each equipped with it's own in-house beauty salon. Accolades kept pouring in for Selena y Los Dinos; Billboard's Premio Lo Nuestro awarded them a total of six prestigious awards, including Best Latin artist and song of the year for Como La Flor. Coca-Cola released a commemorative bottle in her honor to celebrate their five-year relationship together and the informed magazine Hispanic Business reported the singer earned over five million dollars for her boutiques. It made Selena one of the top twenty wealthiest Hispanic entertainers in the world. It also made her the first Tejano artist ever to make that list. This was a dream come true for Selena; after belting out Tomorrow's Rains Fell Today (On the Twilight of My Sorrow), Selena longed to record an English-language album. Her dream was to be in the company of pop icons, such as Donna Summer, Paula Abdul and Madonna. Now all her dreams were on the verge of coming true, she was more determined than ever. Meanwhile, her duet with the Barrio Boys, Dondequiera Que Estes (Wherever You Are), raced to the top of the Latin charts. This prompted Selena to tour in New York City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Central America where she was in growing demand. Selena was becoming so popular that she was featured along side Erik Estrada in a Latin soap opera titled, Dos Mujeres Un Camino (Two Women One Path). When Selena appeared, the ratings went off the roof. Selena was asked to make a second appearance but she declined due to her conflicting schedule. By fall of 1994 Selena's new album Amor Prohibido (Forbidden Love) was selling like hot cakes in Mexico. An album that even knocked Gloria Estefan's "Mi Tierra" off the number one spot on the charts, it had sold over 400,000 copies by March of 1995. Amor Prohibido included such hits as Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, the title track, Fotos Y Recuerdos (Photos And Memories), No Me Queda Mas (I've Got Nothing Left), and El Chico Del Apartamento 512 (The Boy From Apartment 512). She toured for the album and prepared to record her first English album. In 1995, she made a cameo appearance in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, starring Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. She appeared as a background mariachi singer during the first scene. Despite her busy schedule, Selena continue to make it a priority to visit local schools to talk to students about the importance of education. She was instrumental in civic organizations such as, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and planned a fundraiser concert to help AIDS sufferers. She never said no to non-profit organizations and always participated in charity softball games. This was one of the reasons why Selena's loyal fans saw her as one of their own. She was sincere, down to earth and always gave back to her community. Selena was closer and closer to completing her first English Album, which was scheduled to be released in the summer of 1995. Afraid that her loyal fans would think she was turning her back on them, Selena was recording a new Tejano Album as well. In the beginning of 1995 Selena earned a second Grammy nomination for Amor Prohibido. She was planning to open two more boutiques, including one in Mexico. HER DEATHYolanda Saldvar worked her way into the singer's inner circle, becoming president of Selena's fan club and manager of the boutiques. In 1995 the Quintanillas found out Saldvar was stealing money from boutiques and decided to fire her. Selena agreed to meet Saldvar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas on the morning of March 31, 1995, in order to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes. When Selena first arrived in the motel, in the morning, she demanded the missing financial papers. Then, Yolanda claimed she had been raped in Mexico. Selena drove Saldvar to a local hospital where they found no evidence of rape. They both returned to the motel where Selena again demanded the missing financial papers. At the motel an argument ensued over the embezzlement and Saldvar pulled out a gun from her purse, pointing it at her own head, then at Selena. Then, as the singer left the room, Saldvar shot her once in the back. Selena then fled to the manager's office in the lobby for help. Before Selena collapsed to the floor, she named Saldvar as the one who shot her (it is believed these were Selena's final words). The ambulance and police arrived on scene to escort Selena to the hospital but she died from loss of blood at a local hospital at 1:09 pm, at the age of 23. AFTERMATHSelena's death shocked and saddened Latinos and non-Latinos alike across the United States. Major networks interrupted their regular programming to break the news; Tom Brokaw referred to Selena as The Mexican Madonna. Numerous vigils and memorials were held in the singer's honor. Among the celebrities who were reported to have immediately phoned the Quintanilla family to express their condolences were Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias, and Madonna. Her funeral drew approximately 60,000 mourners, many of whom came from outside the United States. That summer her album Dreaming of You, a combination of Spanish language songs and several new English language tracks, debuted at ..1 on the Billboard music charts in the US, making her the first Hispanic singer to accomplish this feat. On its release date, it sold over 175,000 copies, the most ever by any female singer in pop history. Mainstream English-language radio stations embraced the album cuts I Could Fall In Love and Dreaming Of You, with the latter song reaching ..25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs have become adult-contemporary standards and receive airplay to this day. I Could Fall In Love was ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time since it was not released as a commercial single, but it did reach ..12 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Had Selena's label released the song commercially, it would likely have been a Top Ten or even Top Five hit with the added factor of single sales. On the Adult Contemporary chart, it did reach the Top Ten.) To date, the album has sold approximately 4,000,000 copies in the USA. In October of 1995 a Houston jury convicted Saldvar of 1st degree murder and sentenced her to life in prison. Under the law in place at the time, Saldvar will be on parole someday, but it is unlikely that it will be granted anytime soon. LEGACYThere is a museum to honor Selena's memory and a bronze life-sized statue of her on Ocean Drive in Corpus Christi. The Selena Museum is visited by hundreds of fans each week. People from as far away as Japan, Australia, and Europe have visited. In 1997, Jennifer Lopez played Selena in the movie of the same name. This fact stirred some controversy in the Mexican-American community since Lopez is Puerto Rican and was playing the role of a singer who was of Mexican descent. But Selena's fans embraced the touching biography, and Lopez's role in the movie catapulted her to stardom. Despite Lopez's own success as a pop star a few years later, and she did sing during the filming, Selena's recorded singing voice was dubbed in for all her songs. Lopez gave a strong performance in her role, and she was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actress. The soundtrack album, instead of being just another greatest-hits compilation, included some previously unreleased English tracks, including "Is It The Beat?" (the English version of Enamorada De Ti), Where Did The Feeling Go?, and two live medleys of disco hits such as I Will Survive and Last Dance, from her famous 1995 appearance at the Houston Astrodome. It also featured both of Selena's English-language hit singles from Dreaming Of You, as well as A Boy Like That, originally recorded for a West Side Story tribute album; an eight-minute Cumbia Medley of Selena's Spanish hits; and a tribute song, Vivirs Selena (You Will Live On, Selena), performed by Pete Astudillo, Graciela Beltran, the Barrio Boyzz, Jennifer Pena, Emilio, and Bobby Pulido. Selena's enduring popularity is demonstrated by the fact that she continues to outsell many living artists. In fact, the Guinness Book of World Records, in 2003 (she had previously graced the book's pages as the "most dominating artist"), considered adding her to their pages as being the only deceased celebrity who continues to compete with today's top pop stars. Selena was named by Billboard Magazine as the Best Selling Latin Artist of the Decade (90's), selling approx 18,000,000 albums. Selena has sold approximately 20,000,000 albums in 6 years. Selena broke Mariah Carey's sales record. Selena's Dreaming Of You sold in one day, what Mariah's CD sold in one week. Selena was the first Latin artist to chart a Latin album (at least 50% Spanish) at ..1 on the Billboard 200 Pop Charts. Selena is the only Latin and FEMALE artist ever to place 5 consecutive albums in Billboard 200 Top Selling Albums in the U.S. This has only been accomplished by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Garth Brooks. Billboard Magazine declared the release and success of "Dreaming of You" as a historic day in Latin music history. The People Magazine Tribute Issue to Selena sold 1,000,000 copies its day of release, spawning People En Espanol. Selena was in the 1999 Book Of World Records in the category of Most Dominating Musical Artist. Selena was the only female Latina to receive a Golden Eagle Award in 2001, to honor her positive impact on millions of Latinos. Others to receive it that night were Tito Puente and Anthony Quinn, both now deceased. In 1998 Selena was picked by People Magazine as one of "The Most Intriguing People Of The Century". Selena is considered one of the top 10 most important Latinos in history, on the internet. On April 12, 1995, George W. Bush, then the Governor of Texas, declared April 16 (Selena's birthday) to be Selena Day in Texas (see <1>). Many young girls, most of whom were not even born at the time of Selena's death, or were too young to even remember Selena, or those who were infants during her career, still visit her grave and sing her songs. SELENA VIVE REUNION CONCERTUNIVISION'S 'SELENA VIVE' CONCERT BREAKS AUDIENCE RECORDS!Univisions Selena Vive! Breaks Audience Records Nationwide audience dazzled by all-star celebration of Tejano Queens life- Sister network TeleFutura also achieves record audience with presentation of the motion picture Selena- Houston, TX--(HISPANIC PR WIRE)--April 11, 2005--(NYSE:UVN) Hispanic America joined a sold-out Reliant Stadium of over 50,000 devoted fans as the Univision Television Network broadcast SelenaVive!, its star-studded tribute to the Queen of Tejano music, LIVE last Thursday night. The telecast also went on to achieve a record breaking 35.9 household rating to become the highest rated and most viewed Spanish-language TV special ever and was the ..1 program regardless of language among Adults 18-34 in Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco while tying for first place in New York. Emotions clearly ran high as the 3-hour spectacular began with a heartfelt introduction by Selenas motion picture portrayer, Jennifer Lpez, followed by Selenas original greeting to the fans of her last concert at the Houston Astrodome 10 years ago. The musical tribute then kicked into high gear with superstar Thalas opening interpretation of the Selena hit, Amor Prohibido. Thala was followed by a cavalcade of many of Latin musics biggest stars, all performing an amazing collection of Selenas biggest hits. The immensely popular group Banda el Recodo gave a rhythmic rendition of Techno Cumbia. Then Puerto Rican salsa star India performed No Debes Jugar. After a short video recounting Selenas discovery, a cacophony of car horns was heard at the start of the next number as Mexican recording artist Ana Barbara performed La Carcacha along with a full complement of dancers. The poignant duet Buenos Amigos was then performed by newcomer Mariana Seoane and popular heartthrob Pablo Montero, and Grupero music star Alicia Villarreal wrapped up the segment with Si Una Vez. Following another video recalling Selenas international success, popular Mexican singer Ana Gabriel dedicated her performance of one of Selenas favorite classics T, Slo T to her memory. She then introduced Pepe Aguilar, who likewise dedicated his rendition of No Me Queda Ms. Then, after a video depicting Selenas origins in Texas, the audience was treated to an electrifying production of Fotos Y Recuerdos by the always-exciting pop sensation Paulina Rubio. The next video segment retold the story of Selenas second family and back-up band, Los Dinos, and was narrated by one of its former members, Pete Astudillo. Astudillo then performed the song he wrote after her passing, Cmo Te Extrao. After a video covering Selenas life as a role model for women, Puerto Ricos Olga Tan treated viewers to her dance-filled interpretation of the hit La Llamada. The next video segment was dedicated to Love and was followed by a dramatic entrance of international superstar Gloria Estefan in a special, heartfelt performance of Selenas English-language hit I Could Fall In Love. In one of the most touching performances of the evening, Selenas brother A. B. Quintanilla and his group, Kumbia Kings, performed a duet with his sister in a specially remixed version of her hit Baila Esta Cumbia. Later, Mexicos eclectic pop-rocker Alejandra Guzmn brought the audience to their feet with her performance of perhaps Selenas most infectious hit, Bidi Bidi, Bom Bom. This was followed by a Tex-Mex medley by two of the popular genres biggest stars, Bobby Pulido and Jay Prez. Colombian singer/songwriter Soraya began singing the crossover hit Dreaming of You and was joined onstage by the vocal group Barrio Boyzz, reunited for the first time since disbanding to pay homage to Selena, whom they had the privilege of recording with while she was alive. Mexican singer Graciela Beltrn then treated the crowd to a lively production number of El Chico del Apto. 512. A video of Selenas legacy was then followed by Aleks Syntek and Fey performing Dondequiera Que Ests. Then, todays hottest Duranguense band, Montz de Durango, broke into a spirited and fireworks-highlighted arrangement of Ven Conmigo. But without a doubt, the evenings most emotional moment came when the entire stadium audience got a chance to participate in the grand finale. A video of the star of the evening, Selena, performing Como La Flor played on the giant video screens accompanied by Los Dinos, playing together again for the first time since her passing. Then, as thousands of fans waved white roses, all the performers returned to the stage to sing the chorus along with a 55-member childrens choir, closing the show with one of the most moving tributes of all time. Commenting on the evening dedicated to his beloved daughter, family patriarch Abraham Quintanilla was quoted as saying, The evening exceeded our wildest expectations. Selenas memory is very much alive as witnessed by the outpouring of emotions during tonights event. My wife and I would like to thank Univision, the marvelous crew, and most of all, her ever devoted fans. On Thursday, March 31, the anniversary of Selenas passing, TeleFutura's special primetime tribute to Selena made ratings history for the Network. Ranking as the nation's ..2 broadcast network among all Hispanic demographics that night, only behind sister network Univision, it also resulted in the largest audience in TeleFuturas history. TeleFutura delivered 1.2 million more Hispanic Viewers on this night than competitor Telemundo. The massive tribute concert, "Selena Vive!" (Selena Lives!) which over 50,000 fans attended was presented on April 7, 2005, a week after the tenth anniversary of the star's death. Reliant Stadium in Houston hosted the event, which featured many high-profile artists, including Gloria Estefan, Pepe Aguilar, Thala, Paulina Rubio, Banda El Recodo, Ana Barbara, Alejandra Guzmn, Aleks Syntek, Ana Gabriel, and Fey. All of the musicians present performed renditions of her music, including her brother, A.B. Quintanilla, who performed along with his band Kumbia Kings, backed with footage of Selena singing Baila Esta Cumbia. Broadcast live on the Univision network, "Selena Vive!" now holds the record for the highest-rated and most-viewed Spanish-language show in American television history. The show, which was over 3 hours long, scored a whopping 35.9 household ratting.
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